


Tiger and Goat

by beatrixlowe



Category: Original Work
Genre: Boys' Love, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Predator/Prey, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-07-23 13:36:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7465449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beatrixlowe/pseuds/beatrixlowe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A tiger meets a goat and, due to some misunderstandings, decides not to eat him...yet. The unlikely pair embarks on an adventure about trust and promises, forging a bond that ignores common sense. But though they grow closer, one question remains: will the predator eventually eat his prey?<br/>(Personified animals)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He had been abandoned.

The wind picked up with a despairing howl as that realisation sank in, but still he could not move. He stared blankly, still chewing the grass that he had been eating, and he wondered why this had to happen to him. It was a fine day with the perfect weather for lazing around; that was why he came to this pasture with his family and friends. And then there were shouts, a thundering of hooves, chaos that he failed to react to, and he was left alone.

Before him, his nemesis, the tiger, closed in with languid testing steps. He gulped, swallowing that wad of grass in his mouth, while mentally calculating the chances of a successful escape. It did not take long for him to conclude that it was impossible. He had always been a little slow, and although that did not mean his family had to abandon him like this - how could they? - it certainly meant his certain death. He could never outrun the tiger. He would not survive this encounter.

What was the point of running?

Staying absolutely still, he faced death with both eyes shut, listening one last time to the sound of his favourite food rustling in the wind. He sensed the tiger circling him and taking a whiff of his scent, so close he could feel the warm breath tickling his hair, and he prayed for the other to go straight for his neck so it could all end swiftly with the least amount of pain.

“You…aren’t you afraid of me?”

Huh?

His lids flew open and he found himself staring into the tiger’s eyes just an inch away from his own. He studied the greenish tint within those golden eyes, and he thought how beautiful they were, in comparison to the perpetually sleepy eyes that his kind possessed.

“I am going to eat you. Aren’t you going to run?”

A low growl escaped the tiger, jaws frighteningly wide, and the goat cringed at the stench of blood. That was the blood from the predator’s newest victim, and that was his fate, to enter those jaws and contribute to the bad breath.

“I wonder how you taste.”

Had the tiger never eaten a goat? Confused, he tilted his head to the side and unwittingly allowed the tiger to lick the side of his face. The sensation of the rough tongue made him gasp, and his lids fell shut once again when the tip of a sharp tooth grazed his skin. This was it, he thought.

“…Interesting.”

The tiger was larger and more muscular, surely the claws would descend soon and rip into his fur coat soon. He did not seem like the merciful kind either, so surely those sharp teeth would grind into his body and tear his flesh out. Surely…

It took five seconds for him to open his eyes, and he stared, bewildered, at the tiger who now stood a respectful distance away from him.

“I have never met one as brave as you,” the tiger muttered. “Don’t you fear death?”

What was he talking about? Of course he feared death. He was so scared he was paralysed, and even now he remained so scared he could not speak.

“My mother once said, that the greatest courage was not blind bravado, but quiet calm when faced with danger…it will be a waste to eat you.”

With that, and one more parting glance, the tiger turned away.

That easily? He escaped death that easily?

“Wait,” the goat said, and he had no idea what he was doing. “Aren’t you hungry?”

The tiger stopped in his tracks, and when he whipped his head back to regard him, his eyes glowed with an intense glint.

“Are you tempting me?”

Ah, he was a stupid one indeed. Stupid and slow; no wonder his family abandoned him.

“I-I….” he stammered, for once trying to find his way out of his predicament. “I thought...that if you are hungry….you could…”

“What? Eat you?”

The goat shook his head, and with all his almost non-existent courage, squeaked the following words.

“I thought you could try some of the tasty grass here.”

Silence passed between them as the wind picked up again. Following its course was a group of small birds flying high above them, and their formation was momentarily disturbed when they looked down and wondered what the two mammals were doing. It was only after they were gone from sight that the tiger snorted and subsequently burst into chuckles.

“S-See, there is plenty of grass here,” the goat went on explaining, not understanding what was so funny. “You can fill your stomach and never worry about food running out.”

“If I could do that, I wouldn’t have to - ”

Laughter overcame the tiger before he could finish, and it rang heartily in the fields. The frank outward expression of joy was something the goat had never witnessed, for the most his species did at the best of moods was to grin while chewing grass. He listened to the laughter, appreciating the warm, strong tones of it, and when it died down, he thought the tiger seemed less scary.

“I change my mind. You’re coming with me.”

Huh?

The goat froze when the tiger approached once again, though he kept his eyes opened this time to admire the way those broad shoulders moved. The more he looked the more he found the tiger’s movement to be mesmerizing and elegant, and he could not process any word.

The tiger stopped and spoke into his ear.

“I’m making you my prey, and I will eat you when the right time comes. Don’t even think about escaping.”

Keeping a close watch, the tiger walked towards the forest. Behind him, the goat followed in a daze, solely because the stripes on the tiger’s body were beautiful and he wanted to continue viewing them from up close.

And thus began the weird adventures of the tiger and goat.


	2. Chapter 2

It took three days before the goat recognised that he was most probably not going to see his family again. He had, in an impulse to observe more, blindly followed the tiger to his territory and then spent much of his blank chewing time studying the predator’s habits. There were things that he learnt about the tiger, like how he was drowsy in the day but active at night, and how stringent he was when it came to securing a close distance between them.

Before sleeping, the tiger would draw a large circle on the ground.

“Step out of this area and I will eat you right away,” he had said while settling himself on the hard ground.

For a long time the tiger clung on to consciousness and fought his drooping lids to keep watch, but the goat thought that effort to be pointless. Where else could he go? The tiger had led him too far away from the fields he knew, and even if he did miraculously possessed a spirit to explore, he would sooner be eaten by another predator than find his way out of the forest. Resigned to his fate, the goat obediently grazed within the circle while the tiger slept.

That was until he saw the delicious looking ferns a distance away.

Intrigued, the goat wandered to the edge of the circle to stare at the far-away prize. A slight breeze tickled the blades of the fern, and the way they swayed under the rays of sunlight made him salivate. Unable to stand the temptation, the goat took one step forward.

“Where are you going?”

The impact came to him faster than the words, and a grunt escaped him as he was pinned to the ground. The next thing he knew, he was staring upwards at a very angry tiger.

“I knew it. You’re planning to escape, aren’t you?”

Ah, that reminded the goat, his mother was always in a bad mood when she just woke up. Perhaps the tiger was just not sleeping enough.

“I’m sorry I disturbed - ”

“You think you can outrun me?” the tiger growled, obviously not listening. “You think I wouldn’t know just because I’m asleep?”

The goat shook his head and the tiger narrowed his eyes.

“Why did you leave the circle?”

“I wanted to eat the ferns.”

Unlike the goat, the tiger was a fast and alert creature, always ready to react under any circumstances. The tips of his ears reacted to small noises that the goat simply ignored, and his watchful eyes were always looking for prey. This time, however, he reacted much slower than usual.

His angry façade was frozen for a second before melting into realisation and amusement. His clenched jaw loosened, something akin to a snort escaped and the fierceness in his eyes was replaced by the warm look that the goat liked. Then he suddenly became angry again.

“Will you die if you stopped eating for even a moment?” he asked, though his glare no longer seemed threatening. “I should just confine you in a cave the next time. Make you starve so I can sleep.”

 Those were his words, but ever since that incident, the circle expanded to include ferns…and then mosses…shrubs…herbs…

The goat munched in bliss. It was their third day together, there was no more circle, and the tiger was now in a much deeper sleep than before. Careful not to wake the beast, the goat treaded softly to the cliff to have a look at the area around them. Below him was a small clearing that reminded him of home, and that was what prompted him to reflect.

He wondered how his little siblings were doing and whether his mother was taking care of them since she was always somewhat absentminded. Maybe she already forgot about his existence; such was the way of their kind, the mothers could only focus on taking care of the younger ones. Already reaching adulthood, the goat was destined to leave them anyway, like how his father did.

Perhaps he could become more like the tiger; clever, confident and kind. Perhaps he could even learn to hunt and eat meat.

That thought, and the sight of a deer nearby, gave him some pause. There had been many times in these three days that the tiger told him to wait before dashing away at high speed. Sometimes he returned merely tired and disappointed, and sometimes he looked battered with small wounds near his face. But never did he return with a successful kill.

It had been three days since the tiger last ate.

“Wake up,” the goat said while giving a nudge. “I saw a deer over there…”

“Where?”

Without wasting a moment, the tiger sprang to his feet. The goat pointed out the direction and as usual, he was then told to wait. But something was different about the tiger this time. His muscles were drawn tighter and his movements were condensed with desperation, but above all, it was his smile that disturbed the goat. It grew wider as the distance closed, and wider still as the deer remained ignorant.

The rest happened in a blur.

The tiger pounced, the deer screamed and the birds scrambled away in fright. The goat watched, forgetting the grass that was still in his mouth, as the jaws closed over the frail slender neck and with a violent tug, tore it open. He heard the final wheeze of the deer, saw the blood that stained the tiger’s fur, and for the first time learnt true terror.

He turned and fled.

 


	3. Chapter 3

It was the way the goat smiled every time he ate something he liked.

To the tiger, not having food for about two or three days was the norm, and sometimes he had to go an entire week just by hunting smaller animals like rabbits. Even if he found a larger prey, he had to worry about dragging the carcass to his territory and guarding it from possible competition. Where to hunt next and how best to hunt; those were the only things he thought about every day, because he had to eat to survive. He never thought of eating as enjoyment until he met the goat. 

That blessed herbivorous creature never had much to worry about and was always observing his surroundings and weather in a laid-back manner. It did not take long for the tiger to realise that his first impression of the goat was wrong; instead of ‘brave’, a better word to describe him would be ‘naïve’. For three days - he couldn’t believe it - the goat slept at night completely defenceless in the presence of a hungry tiger. Irritated, he had snuck close on the first night thinking to give his prey a fright so he might _learn_ the terror of his might.  But just when he was about to pounce, the goat mumbled in his sleep, and his parted jaws revealed something that the tiger could not believe. The goat had a bit of grass in his mouth even as he slept.

His empty stomach hurt from suppressed laughter and immediately protested with a growl. Yet instead of eating the prey he held captive, he went about in search of others while never straying too far away.

It was only on their third day together that the tiger seriously considered eating the goat. It would be easy to attack that clueless glutton while he ate, or he could simply break his neck while he slept. Weakened from constant hunger, the tiger lay down and shut his eyes. He told himself that he should hone his hunting skills and not rely on his emergency ration. But as his consciousness became hazy, he decided to eat the goat at nightfall if he still could not catch any prey by then.

He was glad when he awoke to the news of a deer’s presence. Happier than he thought he would be.

The deer’s scream turned into strangled gurgling as his teeth sank in. Spurred by the long-awaited taste of blood, he yanked off a chunk of the throat and proceeded to feast before his prey even went still. In that crazed, desperate moment, he ditched the idea of storing the carcass and chose to eat as much as he could on the spot. This way, with his stomach full, he would be less likely to harm the goat.

That was when a certain silly smiling face entered his mind and put a break to his feasting. Drenched in blood, he turned to look for the goat which was already nowhere to be found.

“I told you to stay there…!”

With a reluctant howl of frustration, the tiger left the carcass and ran off in pursuit. He followed the tracks through thick foliage until it abruptly came to an end at a steep slope, and there he stood, imagining the naïve goat losing his footing and tumbling down.

“Where are you?” he yelled, loud enough to frighten away all the small animals around, and when no reply came, he jumped.

As much as he tried to keep his footing, he ended up tumbling and hitting a few rocks on his way. It was so painful he began swearing and cursing the goat for putting him through all this trouble. Which part of that tiny brain of his did not understand the meaning of the word ‘stay’? Did he run off again because he saw some other random plant he wanted to eat? Because if that was the case, he swear he would… he would…

Before he could come up with a fitting punishment, the goat entered his vision, limping.

“Hey,” he called.

The goat jumped in shock, and without turning back, ran as fast as he could. Perplexed by that reaction, the tiger caught up.

“What are you doing?” he asked as he jogged beside the goat.

“R-Running away from you,” the goat huffed, staring straight ahead.

“Then don’t you think you need to run faster?”

The goat pushed his neck forward with every step and the tiger snickered at that pathetic attempt to speed up. Served him right, the tiger thought, he should never have tried to escape.

Then again, why did the goat suddenly feel like escaping?

“Hey, why - ” he began, but the goat squeezed his eyes shut and seemed unwilling to listen.

This disobedience, combined with the fact that he had to give up a precious kill, _and_ tumble down a slope, made the tiger snap.

He leapt forward to block the goat, and he let out a low growl.

But before he could pounce, the goat fell back by himself.

“Don’t eat me.”

The plea made no sense, especially because the goat said it while lying in the most delectable position, with his back on the ground and legs in the air.

“I never said anything about - ”

“Don’t eat me,” the goat said again, this time with a tell-tale hiccup. “Please don’t eat me.”

It was upon closer inspection that the tiger realised the goat was sobbing. Why, those stoic facial muscles hardly moved and those narrow eyes were as lazy as ever - how was the tiger supposed to know he had scared the goat?!

Finally getting it, the tiger heaved a great sigh.

“Of course I will eat you. Why else would I keep you around?” he said, and smirked when he saw the goat tremble. He then walked closer to pry away the limbs hiding his face. “But you are my emergency ration, so I won’t eat you unless I’m dying of hunger.”

The goat sneaked a peek.

“…Will you die of hunger anytime soon?”

“I will if you keep interrupting my meal time,” the tiger said. “Now let’s go back so I can continue eating, unless you want me to eat you.”

“…Please don’t eat me.”

“Fine, fine, I won’t eat you for a week. Happy?”

The goat looked unconvinced.

“Argh! Fine! A month! And I will consider lengthening it if you promise not to run away again.”

At long last, the long-awaited silly smile appeared on the goat’s face, and a fluttering feeling the tiger never experienced overcame him.

“I promise.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

The tiger’s fur flowed in the breeze as he weaved past tall trees. Moonlight hardly shone through the dense screen of leaves but that did not deter him from navigating the forest, for his vision remained clear even in the inky darkness. Eyes trained on the sleeping boar a distance away, he merged with the silence of the night and approached with deadly calm.

But he was not so lucky that night. A snap of a branch underneath his foot served as alarm, and the boar retaliated when he pounced. There was a brief struggle and the tiger suffered a bite on his shoulder, but he quickly overpowered his prey. The kill was swift and there was little commotion thereafter, like the life of the boar meant nothing but sustenance to its predator. As the tiger looked down and bore witness to the mess of torn flesh, he recalled the goat’s tears and hesitated. Then, thinking himself stupid, he proceeded to fill his own belly. It was precisely because he did not want the goat to see this…this cruelty…that he changed his routines and only hunted at night. He had better eat enough to remain full for the rest of the day.

After eating what he could, he left the remaining to a pack of dogs before doubling back to the usual hideout. That was yet another change in him - he did not want the goat to wake up to the sight of a half-eaten animal and end up running away again.

He had thought the goat was brave. He had wanted to make the goat fear him, but now that it was actually happening, he did not know what to think.

A helpless sigh left him as he looked at the goat, asleep under the web of overhanging branches with a blade of grass sticking from his mouth and drool forming a small pool on the ground. At least there was the promise; the tiger could now go further away to hunt without worrying that the goat might run away. Anyway, the goat’s legs were still not fully healed so he would not be running away any time soon.

The tiger quietly observed the goat a little longer, and though his stomach was full and his shoulder ached from the wound, he set off again into the deeper part of the forest.

+++

The goat woke up in the morning to the wonderful smell of greenery. Drowsy eyes blinked and stared blankly at the assortment of his favourite food lying right beside him.

“…Have you learnt to eat plants?”

“These are for you, idiot!”

“You even got me thistles.”

“Will you just shut up and eat? I’m only doing this until your leg heals, so don’t expect me to - ”

“Thank you. I love it.”

The simple words of gratitude shook the tiger’s heart and pumped blood to his face. He coughed and back faced the goat.

“Eat and fatten up. You’re my emergency ration after all.”

Those first few hours of daylight passed in peace as the goat nibbled and the tiger snoozed. Whenever the tiger’s nap was disturbed by the calling of birds or rustling of leaves, he would look up, see the goat’s contented smile, and drift slowly back to sleep. But as hours passed, he became increasingly disturbed by the throbbing pain on his shoulder. It was the wound that he had neglected, and it had gotten infected. Wincing, he twisted to lick it, but the challenging angle proved the task to be impossible.

“What happened?” the goat took a break from eating and asked.

“It’s nothing. I fell and got scratched by a branch.”

“This doesn’t look like a scratch.”

Of all times, the goat chose this moment to become miraculously intelligent. Shaking his head and deciding to ignore him, the tiger grabbed some grass to cover his wound with the hopes that it would heal faster this way.

“I can help you.”

Too tired to care, the tiger only lifted an eyebrow as he watched the goat stuff herbs into his mouth. But his eyes soon widened, and he became fully awake when the goat spat a wad of disgusting slimy green substance on his shoulder.

“What the hell?!”

“It will help you heal faster. Now stay still…”

Wasn’t this a form of marking? The idea of being marked - by a goat nonetheless! - greatly disturbed the tiger, and a growl left him before he could stop it.

The goat froze. The tiger realised what he was doing and stopped. Then he allowed the goat to continue treating his wound. What else could he do?

“Done,” the goat said, and the subsequent dazed smile triggered another flutter in the tiger’s stomach, which puzzled him because he was still full from the meal last night.

“You must be a real idiot to heal the one who will eventually eat you.”

“But I’m safe this month, right?”

Huffing, the tiger rolled to his side and closed his eyes. He let lethargy overcome him, until his muscles relaxed and his breathing evened, before mumbling what he had actually wanted to say.

“…Thanks.”

+++

That night, the tiger set off again to hunt while the goat slept. His shoulder felt a bit better by then, so he had no trouble killing and eating some of the smaller animals. Satisfied with his hunt, he then set off to gather more plants. The goat’s appetite never ceased to amaze him, it was like he had four stomachs. When what he gathered last night ran out, the goat tottered about on his wobbly legs to find more food. The tiger had laughed at the hilarious sight, but he also knew that it must be painful.

His mother taught him that one should always return favours. He did not know how to tend to the goat’s injury, so the least he could do was tend his four stomachs.

He searched the wild, trying hard to differentiate the plants and remember which ones the goat preferred. It was pure coincidence that he noticed the tracks made by another animal, one as large as him. Judging by the deeper imprints, he could tell it was a predator, one with claws extended and ready to kill. An angry snarl formed on the tiger’s face, for it was terrible manners to sneak into another’s territory. HHHHe traced the footsteps with shoulders squared, eager to show the other just who was more superior.

But he stopped when he reached a familiar patch of bushes, and his confident façade warped into one of worry.

The tracks led straight to the goat.


	5. Chapter 5

By chance, the goat awoke in the middle of the night with a rumbling tummy and thus avoided certain death. He thought it was the tiger at first, but there was something so obviously off that even he, only half-awake, could detect. It was then that the clouds shifted to allow moonlight through, revealing a pair of glowing blue eyes. They were too cold to be the tiger’s.

The predator sprang at the same time the goat got to his feet, claws missing him by merely an inch. Panicking, he scrambled for cover and managed to dodge another swipe which, if he had been a second slower, would have sliced his neck open.  In his clumsiness, he crashed into a rotten tree trunk and dislodged the overhanging branches. The predator leapt backwards, caught by surprise as the branches fell before him, and those few seconds were all the goat had to save himself.

Needless to say, he was too slow to react. It was all he could do to spend those precious seconds staring blankly at his attacker and identifying it as a female jaguar. When she lunged again, he was left with no options than to fall backwards and await his doom.

Just then, a terrible roar shook the woods and made the goat open his eyes. He saw a flash of orange and familiar black stripes.

“He’s mine,” the tiger snarled, tail lashing. “Get out of my territory.”

“I have cubs to feed,” came the steady reply.

From the ground, the goat could not see the situation well, but he knew the female jaguar was smaller than the tiger. In a fight to the death, it was more probable for the tiger to survive, but then again desperation could drive one far enough. He held his breath, praying that the tiger would not come to harm.

They clashed, fangs bearing and claws slashing. The tiger rose to deliver a blow aimed at the jaguar’s eyes, and though he missed, he quickly twisted to attempt a bite instead. His fangs sank in, but not deeply enough. The jaguar howled and stumbled out of reach to regain her balance before charging again. She knocked the tiger down and elicited an agonised grunt, but the next instant, a kick connected with her stomach and flipped their positions. The tiger sneered, eyes crazed from the adrenaline and he gave a victorious roar before plunging for the kill.

“Stop!”

The tiger froze at the goat’s cry, and his distracted glance gave the jaguar a chance to free herself. She retreated to a distance away and panted heavily.

“You won only because of your weight,” she said with narrowed eyes. “To think a tiger would obey a goat…you are a weakling.”

“What did you say?!”

The fearsome roar that followed finally chased the jaguar away, and the tiger was left with only anger and frustration. In the heat of the moment, he turned to the goat and vented.

“Why did you stop me?!” he yelled. “She almost killed you, and you would help her?!”

“N-No…I just don’t want anyone to get hurt…”

“I came dashing back for you! I was so worried about you, and yet you…!”

The scolding was cut off in the middle. The goat tilted his head to the side, not understanding why the tiger’s rage mellowed so suddenly.

“…Did she hurt you?”

“Huh?”

“I asked if she hurt you, damn it!”

“N-No.”

“You are one lucky dumb goat.”

Having had enough, the tiger sat down and tended a scratch that he unknowingly suffered sometime during the battle. As the goat watched, he thought the tiger looked pitiful. Lonely, even. So although he was still traumatised, he approached with shaky legs.

“Are you all right?” he asked. “I’m sorry for being stupid and slow.”

“Yes you’re stupid,” the tiger grumbled. “Who the hell lies down when attacked? At least try to protect yourself, airhead.”

The next few hours were spent with the tiger trying to impart self-defence skills to the goat. It was a tall task since the goat had neither fangs nor claws, and was lacking in both strength and dexterity. But at least he had his horns.

“When someone charges at you, lower your head like this.”

“Like this?”

“That’s right. Now you have to dig into the ground... No, this is too stiff, bend your legs a little.”

Really, what was he doing teaching his prey to protect himself? He was still going to eat the goat one day, right? What if the goat learnt enough to guard against him by then?

Regardless, when he gave a testing push and the goat resisted, a proud smirk appeared on the tiger’s face.

“Well done,” he said, using the same words his mother used when he was still a cub. “Now we move on to battle simulation.”

The goat nodded with a tiny fraction of the tiger’s enthusiasm. Truth be told, he was not so interested in what he was being taught and would much prefer to munch on some grass. He only complied because the tiger looked like he was having fun. Eyes half-lidded, the goat zoned off into imaginary grass-wonderland, oblivious to the tiger who had concealed himself for a mock ambush.

The tiger leapt out with a threatening growl.

And the startled goat fell on his back.

“What did I just teach you?” the tiger said and shook his head.

Wondering why he even bothered, he glared at the goat, and he kept glaring until an idea came to him.

“This is what happens if you don’t protect yourself,” he said, and without warning, pounced.

The subsequent yelp brought much satisfaction to the tiger, and he nuzzled against the goat’s neck.

“You said you will not eat me for a month,” the prey protested, and despite his fear, remained quite expressionless. “It’s only been two days…”

“This is a tasting session.”

The tiger ran his tongue up the length of the goat’s neck, savouring the delicious tremors as he did so. More than the actual taste, he enjoyed the little timid reactions as he licked over and over, and snickered whenever the goat found enough courage to beg for mercy.

Too bad. It was the goat’s fault for not focusing earlier, and for making him worry.

If he had not spotted the footprints in time, if he had run just a bit slower, the goat would have...

Getting carried away, the tiger heard less protests and licked more intently. He shifted from neck up to the adorable lop ears, then to his face where he lingered, lapping the sides repeatedly.

“Ah…! N-No…I-I’m…”

He brushed away every frail attempt to resist, though he took care to use only the tip of his tongue so that he would not hurt the goat. And as he licked, he thought how wonderful it was that the goat was still here, alive and well….and with his usual good appetite.

A thunderous rumble stopped the tiger, and the goat gave a sheepish look.

“…I’m really hungry.”

That day, the tiger stayed up to find food for the goat, and he was dead tired when night fell. Resting nearby, so that he could protect the goat if another predator attacked, he found himself drifting off to sleep despite being nocturnal, and he did so while harbouring a disturbing question in his mind.

How and when was he supposed to hunt from now on?


	6. Chapter 6

The goat noticed something odd recently. Yes, he spent most of his life eating, but that did not mean all he thought about was food. With eyes spaced apart, he was capable of observing his surroundings at a wide angle, and that was what he usually did…in order look for interesting vegetation…Fine, he thought about food ninety-percent of the time. But the other ten percent, he reserved for the tiger.

“Here. Eat up.”

The goat sniffed the food gratefully before munching away. His legs had healed but the tiger still brought him food now and then. He was not about to complain of course, but it did seem rather strange that the tiger was being so kind to him. However before he could ponder more, the tasty berries, flowers and leaves claimed his attention.

And that was when it happened again.

He saw, with his wide vision, the tiger creeping up on him. Those were not the calculated steps that were used to stalk a prey, but rather, ones filled with hesitation. The tiger dipped his head as he inched closer, his tail making uneasy little swipes, and he kept his eyes to the ground as he sat right beside the goat.

The way the tiger darted glances at him made him nervous. The great beast must have thought him ignorant, but the truth was that the goat had become increasingly aware of the tiger’s sneaky actions. He just did not know what to do.

So he merely kept still when the tiger began licking the side of his face.

Was this another tasting session?

Internally shaking with fear, the goat locked his facial muscles and went on eating. He could not understand why the tiger would be nice one moment and mean the other, or why he would feed him and then consider feeding on him. Not knowing when he might die was not a nice feeling.

But his fear ebbed away with each lick, and he slowly relaxed and leaned towards the tiger. It reminded him of his mother grooming him when he was young, except now a huge rough tongue was doing the deed instead. His chewing paused when the tiger lapped at the underside of his ear and he shook his head to free himself from the ticklish sensation. Then the grooming - or tasting? - session resumed and grew more intense.

An overexertion of strength had the goat stumbling sideways, making it too difficult for him to continue eating. He turned his head, wanting to tell the tiger to wait until he finished, and his mouth and nose came into direct contact with the huge tongue.

The tiger stopped, the goat stood stunned, and then they jumped apart.

“I...You…Who asked you to turn around?” the tiger blamed.

“No one,” the goat answered and cringed. “Your breath stinks of blood.”

“Your breath stinks too! Of grass!”

Silence followed as the goat buried his face in his food in an attempt to get rid of the stench. He did not see the frustration on the tiger’s face. He also barely heard the tiger speaking to him - something about washing? - before walking away and leaving him alone.

Just then, he heard the sound of flapping wings. Perched on a low branch was a black bird, and he was tidying his feathers when he spoke.

“You are really stupid.”

“Hello,” the goat greeted. “Are you a vulture?”

“No I’m a lion. Just like how you’re a tiger.”

“Huh? You’re mistaken. I’m a goat.”

“Oh god.”

The bird shook his feathers before finally regarding the goat.

“Idiot, I’m a vulture. And I’ve been stalking the two of you for days, waiting, waiting and _waiting_ for the damn tiger to eat you up,” he said with a scowl before reverting to his haughty smirk. “Can’t say it was all for nothing though. Following the tiger was a damn good choice. I haven’t felt so full for days.”

The transition of topics was too fast for the goat to catch, so he stood with head tilted to the side and wagging his short tail as an attempt to respond.

“Anyway, because I am such a nice bird, I thought I’d share with you my incredible knowledge. Now you damn well listen up. You’re lucky to still be alive, so here’s a chance for you to be alive even longer, in the company of your own kind. Happy?”

There was a pause, in which the vulture tried to assess the goat’s understanding, before he blew a sigh and simplified.

“I saw a herd of goats just now.”

“Really?”

The goat’s eyes widened, which was a feat because they were always half-lidded. Equally amazing was the fact that in that one moment, the goat thought nothing about food. He thought about his mother and his little siblings.

“In this direction, about two miles away.” The vulture extended one wing and pointed. “You might want to start running now if you want to reach them before the tiger comes back.”

He might see his family again. He might return to the safety of a herd and graze with them in the open pasture.

The wish to relive his simple childhood made him take a few steps in the direction pointed out to him. But then he paused and looked at the leftover food that the tiger brought.

“…I don’t want to break my promise.”

“And that’s why I said you’re stupid.” The vulture held his head and let loose a dramatic sigh. “That, or you’ve completely gone crazy. You really think the tiger won’t eat you if you keep your promise?”

“I…”

“Tigers are fickle-minded creatures. They hunt, they play and they kill all at the spur of the moment, just like how he let you live. He just felt like it. So who says a day won’t come when he just feels like eating you up?”

“B-But he’s kind to me!” The goat raised his voice. “He said he won’t eat me for a month!”

“Oh god. Suit yourself! I’ve been kind enough. Just one more thing though, for you to think about.” The vulture took a short flight to land on a higher branch. “If you run away now, you’ll be doing the tiger a favour. You see, your presence tortures him.”

“But I healed his wounds…”

“That’s not it, you idiot! Look at the food he brought you. Now imagine not being allowed to eat it for a month.”

“A month?!” the goat gaped. He could not even imagine resisting for a day.

“Exactly.”

With a suave tilt of his head, the vulture bade farewell and soared into the sky, leaving the goat to his thoughts. He was still standing there, facing the direction pointed out to him, when the tiger returned.

“I took a long drink. The smell is gone, I think.” he said, but the goat did not budge. Thinking it strange, he came nearer and gave a gentle nudge. “I’m talking to you. Face me.”

The goat turned around, but did not look into the tiger’s eyes.

“Sorry. It’s nothing. Sorry.”

 


	7. Chapter 7

What did the vulture say again?

The goat did a half-hearted recall of what happened the day before, but his mind was pretty much a blank. He remembered talking to a black bird - was it really a vulture? - and something about goats, but nothing beyond that. While he would be happy to reunite with his own kind, he couldn’t for the life of him remember the correct direction.

Oh well, he had other things to worry about.

“Can we slow down?” he asked as they walked past a delicious-looking bush.

“You can eat once you get there,” the tiger said.

Together, they inched down the sides of a mountain, picking flatter paths and gentler slopes. The walk seemed to go on forever, and though the goat obediently followed, he wished they were back at their usual spot and just lazing around. The tiger usually slept at this hour too, surely he felt tired? The goat had wanted to groom the tiger while he slept. He wondered if the tiger would let him.

Caught up in his daydream, the goat fell behind by a distance. He quickened his steps to catch up.

“Are we reaching soon?”

“You’ll hear it when we are close.”

Just as the tiger said, a faint rustling sound soon entered their ears. It grew louder as they neared, and louder still when they reached a cliff with no trees blocking.

The wide landscape opened to them as they stood at the edge. The goat forgot all about his hunger and watched the scenery before him with mouth agape. Shrouded in the shadows cast by the mountain were smaller hills flanking a winding stream that extended into the distant woods. At the head of that stream, just diagonally below them, water pounded on the rocks from a great height. The goat traced the waterfall to the top and found himself blinded, for the gushing water was a brilliant gold under the setting sun. It reminded him of the tiger’s eyes.

“I bet you’ve never seen anything like this before.”

The goat shook his head.

“Then let’s hurry up and get to the bottom. The water and plants are fresh there. You can eat and drink all you want.”

A smile on his face, the tiger turned and continued leading the way. He brought the goat here because he looked troubled the day before, like he had many things on his mind, which was most unusual. Coming here was a good decision. He liked the goat’s reactions; they were similar to his own when his mother first brought him here. Back then, he had difficulty in catching rabbits and failed for five consecutive days. If his mother had not fed him, he would have been dead. This thought made him depressed and doubt his own strength, and it was then that his mother brought him here, to cheer him up.

_“One day, you will be like this waterfall, strong enough to make stones yield. But before that can happen, you must lead a life that twists like the river, drifting along and unable to fight the currents. Have patience and endure, only then can you be strong, and most importantly, possess a heart broad enough to accept all of the world.”_

He barely understood what those words meant as a child, but now that he was independent, his mother’s words became his guiding light. Patience, endurance and acceptance; these three words were especially important to him on days when he had to go hungry.

And on days he had to put up with the goat’s nonsense.

“What are you doing?”

He did not bother masking his annoyance as he regarded the goat who lay on his side with head dangling off the cliff.

“I’m…trying…” the goat slurred as his tongue reached out to the treasure.

Trying to eat the ferns hanging at the side, it seemed. The tiger sighed. He just said there were more food at the bottom, and yet this glutton could not even wait for a few minutes!

…Patience.

“Oh look! Blueberries!”

“Huh?”

The goat climbed to his feet and trotted over to his side, whipping his head left and right in search of the fruit. He had completely fallen for the trick.

Thinking it funny, the tiger went on to point out the various non-existent delicacies and managed to get the goat hopping along the side of the slope. In a desperate attempt to reach the ‘mosses underneath the root’, the goat lowered himself by spreading his stiff legs wide. The tiger was close to exploding from suppressed laughter as he manipulated the goat through various awkward poses. This simpleton was great entertainment, and with him around, the tiger no longer needed to chase prey for fun.

When they reached their destination, they took their time relaxing by the foot of the waterfall and appreciating its splendour. The tiger rested his head on his paws, exhausted from the day’s walk, and he sought to get as much sleep as possible before night fell. He kept a close watch on the goat for as long as he stayed awake, and when he saw that glutton feasting happily on all the vegetation around them, he felt glad and relieved.

The goat was better off carefree. He liked the goat better this way.

A loud snore soon competed with the noisy waterfall. It startled the goat at first and put a break in his eating adventures. When he realised it came from the tiger, he tiptoed over to have a closer look. The tiger had turned over, exposing his belly, and his snores mingled with occasional purrs. It was fascinating for the goat for he had never seen the great predator this tired and defenceless. He felt an incredible urge to groom the tiger, but how could he disturb when the precious big cat slept so soundly?

Giving that idea up, the goat resumed his exploration and took a stroll down the stream. He studied the area around him with his wide-spaced eyes, looking for his next dish. It would preferably be something rare, something he could only find here, so he could show it to the tiger before eating it. He wondered if the tiger would praise him.

His ambition made him look further than he could reach, and his eyes soon rested on a peculiar spiky shrub across the stream. He stepped one hoof into the water but retracted it when he realised the current was too strong. Left without a choice, he stood gazing at the plant and yearning for it.

_‘Now imagine not being allowed to eat it for a month.’_

The flash of memory assaulted the goat unexpectedly. He backed away, and at the same time, noticed something else on the other side of the stream.

_‘If you run away now, you’ll be doing the tiger a favour.’_

“But I don’t want to…” the goat whispered, eyes trained on the patches of black and white amidst the greenery. “I like him…”

And he remembered everything else the vulture said, about the herd of goats nearby and how he was so stupid and crazy for not running away.

The goat watched, not knowing what to feel, as his guess was slowly proven true.

On the other side of the river, emerging from the forest, were goats.


	8. Chapter 8

The tiger awoke and snapped to alertness the moment he heard the goat’s bleating. Thinking that the fool had gotten himself into trouble, he turned frantically to seek the source of the sound. He did not have to look far. Just a short distance away, the goat stood along the banks staring at the other side of the stream. His hooves hit the ground intermittently, a rare display of agitation, and he bleated again.

The tiger followed the goat’s line of sight. He saw, and understood.

Without making a single noise, the tiger crept into the woods behind them. All that mattered was that the goat was not in any danger; knowing that the innocent thing was well and healthy brought him much relief. How many days had it been since he first met the goat? He lost count. Their time together was fun, the goat’s antics always made him laugh, and without even realising it, he had become so protective, enough for him to give up sleep or food anytime if it meant the goat’s safety.

He found a log after taking a few more steps. Thinking to test its sturdiness, he hopped on it and walked up and down its length until he deemed it to be satisfactory. Then he began pushing and rolling it back to the stream.

Sometimes, the tiger forgot that the goat was just his emergency food supply. He forgot especially during the times he watched the goat eat with that satisfied silly smile that narrowed his listless eyes into slits. He forgot too, when the goat treated his wounds with the disgusting grass-saliva special blend. He forgot that he was just the goat’s captor; a predator that tore a prey from his family and refused to give freedom.

He struggled with that piece of log until he reached downstream, where the stream flowed more gently. The tips of large rocks poked from the surface of the water and thus led him to believe that this spot was sufficiently shallow. With a grunt, he pushed the log into the stream. It lodged at the rocks, forming a link between both banks.

The goat was dumb, gullible and bad with directions. He was also greedy and had his head in the clouds most of the time. He was weak, slow and clumsy.

But the tiger liked the goat. He liked the goat very much.

“Hey,” he called, and shook his head when he saw that startled blank look on the goat’s face. That idiot probably did not even notice that he was awake. “Come here.”

As always, the goat obediently did as told.

“Watch your step when you enter the water,” the tiger instructed. He made sure to speak softly, so that he would not make his presence known to the herd and risk them running away before the goat joined them. “Lean against the log as you walk so you don’t slip and get washed away, you hear?”

“Why -?”

“They might lead you back to your family. Now go.”

The tiger kept his eyes to the ground as he waited, and when the goat remained still, he turned and walked away. But for each stride he took, the goat took two to keep up, and he was frustrated beyond belief.

“Don’t follow me,” he spun and hissed. “Hurry and go before the log gets dislodged.”

“But I promised I won’t - ”

“Who the hell cares?!” The outburst scared away some birds on the branches, but thankfully it was not loud enough to travel to the other side of the stream. The tiger forced himself to be quieter. “You’re an idiot to make promises with a predator. This is your chance to be free, to be together again with your family. You can…You can find yourself a suitable mate and have off-springs.”

“But - ”

“Just shut up and go, damn it. Or I’ll eat you up right here and now.”

The tiger ended his words and squeezed his eyes shut. He had not wanted to resort to this threat again, but it was what it took, he would…

“You won’t eat me.”

It was an assertive tinge in the goat’s tone that captured the tiger’s attention and made him look up. The goat had spoken with conviction, and there was nothing but pure trust shining in his eyes.

Why was the goat able to detect his lie only at times like this?

“Don’t be so full of yourself!” he bared his fangs and growled. “It was on a whim that I let you live, nothing more than that!”

The goat’s eyes widened, as if remembering something. Whatever it was, the tiger knew his words were getting through this time.

“The truth is I had enough,” he forced himself to continue through gritted teeth. “Because of you, I can no longer enjoy my naps. Because of you, I had to limit my movements. Because of you, I cannot even eat in peace. Why the hell should I still keep you around?”

With each accusation, the tiger gave a shove to force the goat back to the log. As he did so, he made sure not to look into the goat’s eyes, because somewhere along the line he had learnt to read emotions off that poker face. He did not want to see the hurt.

Before the goat could say anything, he gave one final shove and pushed the goat into the water. The clumsy thing struggled briefly in the water, and the tiger waited until he found his balance.

“Now get out of my sight.”

This was it. The stream was shallow enough for the goat’s head to stay atop, but not enough for him to get out of the water of his own. This was goodbye.

“Wait,” the goat said. “I-I want to thank you for always bringing me food. I loved the thistles, they were really crunchy. Ah, the ferns were tasty too…”

It was foolish of the tiger to expect any touching parting words from the glutton. A small smile crept on his face before he knew it and he couldn’t help himself from replying.

“Eat well and stay well.”

With that, he turned around.

“What I mean to say was...I-I’m sorry!”

He had planned to walk away for good, but upon hearing the apology, his legs stopped moving.

“I’m sorry for being stupid. I’m sorry for being nothing but trouble. I’m sorry…”

Behind him, splashes sounded as the goat went on his way, and still, the tiger could not move. He wanted so badly to turn back and tell the goat that it was not like that.

But he chose to endure, even those his chest ached. The female jaguar was right, he had become weak, but just this time he must appear strong. Because he had always been mean to the goat - scaring him, bullying him and laughing at him - he must now set him free. It was the one good thing he could do for the one he liked.

He kept his back turned even when the splashing stopped and a medley of cheerful bleating rang from the other side. There was then the sound of departing hooves and empty howling wind. At last, when the air was still and the sun had completely set, the tiger looked back with eyes devoid of golden glow.

Once again, he was all alone.


	9. Chapter 9

The last thing the tiger had to do was to accept that a predator and prey could never be friends, but it was proving to be one of the biggest challenges in his life.

Standing at a vantage point away from view, the tiger watched the goat and sighed. It was the third day since they parted and he was still stalking the herd from the shadows. Why couldn’t he let go? There were a couple of reasons, but first he cursed his superb ability in hunting; his mother had taught him too well and tracks, even hours old, could do little to elude him. If he had been just slightly less competent, the goat would have been lost to him forever and he could resume his solitary life, but no, fate loved toying with him.

It was during his first stalking session that led to the second reason - he saw the goat left behind by the herd. Worried, he had watched from behind a large tree as the goat looked around in panic to find the right direction. That idiot must have been too slow to follow because he saw some ferns or herbs or whatever he wanted to eat. To the left, he had wanted to shout, but that would reveal his position and the uncool fact that he was still following the goat. In desperation, he caught a tiny rabbit, which trembled pitifully in his looming shadow, and coerced him to help tell that idiot the correct direction. He let the rabbit go thereafter; there was not much meat on him anyway.

One thing led to another and that was how the tiger found himself standing at that vantage point and wondering what he was doing. In order to make himself feel better, he came up with a third, more sensible, reason for his actions. The goat was his responsibility. After days of staying with him, the goat might have become reliant and thus lose some of his natural instincts. So it was his duty to watch over the stupid creature until there was at least some proof that he could survive with the herd.

Satisfied, the tiger settled into a more comfortable position while the goats ate. Over the three days, he learnt that not all goats were as dumb as the goat. For example, there was an active one jumping about while the adults ate, then there was a sharp one standing on guard and surveying the surroundings with large round eyes. Needless to say, the goat did nothing but blissfully munch away, nose twitching and inspecting his next dish before he even swallowed what was in his mouth.

Apparently, the goat found something he liked. The tiger observed how the pair of sleepy eyes brightened up and how he nibbled before taking larger bites. Then, as always, there was the unique silly smile.

A frown settled on the tiger’s face and his head dipped to rest on his front paws. He felt tired from staying awake in the day and hungry from not eating for so long. But more than that, he felt the squeezing pain in his chest, and it numbed all the other kinds of physical pain. Once the goat got along more with the herd, he would really have to let go. He would really not see that smile ever again.

Just as that thought came to pass, the tiger was swiftly reminded that the goat would not be all right on his own anytime soon. Perhaps he had offended the larger one with his stupidity; he was shoved aside and given a nasty glare before he was done eating. Left without a choice, the goat went over to a more isolated area to eat.

So that was how the goat got left behind, not just because he was slow.

Seething with rage, the tiger got to his feet and contemplated how he could help. A fierce battle ensued in his head, and he tried to remind himself that the goat had to learn to survive on his own and that any help rendered would only slow the process. His mother never coddled him, that was how he became strong and that was the only way for the goat to become strong.

But his internal battle abruptly ceased when he looked more carefully at the plant the goat was reaching out to. Those harmless looking berries were as round and juicy as any other, but the goat had gotten it wrong. Those were not blueberries. Those were…

He felt his blood turn cold before surging in temperature and rushing to his head. Then without thinking, he let out a roar and jumped.

Screams and chaos ensued as the herd scrambled to flee. The sharp one gave the signals, the active one led the way, and the larger one pushed past the rest to keep up. They stomped their hooves as they ran, stirring up the dirt on the ground and creating a thin veil between the tiger and themselves. Then they were gone, and only the goat was left, stunned stiff, expressionless and still chewing.

The tiger waited for the dirt to settle before yelling at the top of his voice.

“You idiot!”

His yell blasted through the forest like a shockwave, and he panted to catch his breath before lunging into his rant.

“Why is this happening again?! What have I taught you about self-defence?! You’re at least supposed to run, damn it! And why can’t you tell the difference between blueberries and ivy berries when even I, a god damn carnivore, has learnt to tell them apart?! Why can’t you get along with the larger goat?! Why are you always so slow?! Why - ” He paused to swallow. “Why didn’t they take care of you? How could they leave you alone? How could they…?”

The last of his rant became a whisper. So caught up was he with his messy emotions that he did not notice the goat walking towards him, until he was pulled into a hug.

“I missed you,” the goat said, standing on his hind legs and resting his front on the tiger’s shoulders. “I missed you so much.”

It was then that the tiger was forced to admit the true reason why he followed the goat. As he nuzzled his face against the goat’s and took in the familiar scent, he realised this was what he truly wanted. It was time for him to accept himself and his wish to stay by the goat’s side.

“You idiot,” he scolded, and truly he was running out of vocabulary. “Only you are stupid enough to hug a tiger.”

“That’s because I know you won’t eat me.”

“I…you… you are my emergency ration. It’s not an emergency right now, that’s why…!”

A thunderous rumble sounded, and this time it did not come from the goat’s stomach. Very slowly, the tiger withdrew from the hug and turned around. It took another ten seconds before the goat figured it out.

“…Was that your stomach?”

“It’s all your fault, damn it!” the tiger’s tail swung weakly from side to side. “Stay here while I hunt, you hear?”

The goat’s silly smile did little to ease his worries. He turned back and warned after every five steps.

“Y-you better not run away.”

“Don’t go wandering off.”

“Don’t eat any berries for now.”

“Just stay there and wait for me.”

“I-I will be back soon!”

The tiger’s nagging faded as he disappeared past trees, and the goat was left eating the leaves he just found. He made sure to chew properly, break down the food into smaller pieces, before swallowing it bit by bit. When at last his mouth was clear and free, he answered.

“Okay.”


	10. Chapter 10

“Is it just me or have you gotten fatter?”

The goat took a moment to look questioningly at the tiger. And that was all the reaction he gave before returning to the pile of food that was brought before him.

Sighing, the tiger rested on the carpet of fallen leaves and helped himself as well. He nuzzled close and began licking where the goat liked; the area behind the ears and the side of his face. How did he know the expressionless one liked it? That was a good question the tiger could not answer.

Months had passed since they first met. The greenery around them was slowly changing into shades of brown and even the slightest breeze managed to set dangling leaves free. Daytime was getting shorter - quieter too, following the migration of the birds - and a long peaceful dawn like this was becoming the norm. Many other things had become the norm as well for the unlikely pair, and the difficulty of the initial adjustment phase was long forgotten.

They had changed their lifestyle to maximise their time spent awake together, with the tiger napping less in the day and the goat browsing at night. The tiger was now used to gathering plants after a good hunt, and the goat was used to the licking sessions, though sometimes it interfered with his eating. To minimise disruptions whenever too much force was used, the tiger would hook an arm around the goat to pull him back close so they could resume eating and licking. The goat never protested and the tiger never asked to do more.

But although the goat kept silent and appeared as dumb as always, his mind was working, and lately he wondered why the tiger kept him alive for so long. Though he was forgetful, he remembered the numerous times the tiger saved him from harm. He thought he was the tiger’s emergency ration, yet there had been more than once when the tiger starved for days and still refused to eat him. It dawned on him just then, after so many months, that their relationship was highly unusual and along with this came a startling realisation that made him stop eating.

“What is it?” the tiger asked.

“I…I think,” the goat said. “I think I have become cleverer.”

The tiger took a few seconds staring wordlessly before deciding to ignore the outburst. The goat, on the other hand, went on talking, wide-eyed and impressed with himself.

“Have you ever thought about it? You are a tiger, I’m a goat and yet we’re friends.”

“Oh wow brilliant I never realised.”

That was another thing the tiger had to get used to, unfortunately. He had learnt that scolding the fool was futile and only drained precious calories, so he merely nodded as the goat went on with his ground-breaking analysis of their relationship.

But still…friends, huh?

The tiger never had friends so he was not sure what friendship was. He only had family; his mother who left him once he was able to take care of himself, when he was twenty months old. Since the goat was the only other creature to stay by his side for a long period of time, he thought they were closer to being family than friends.

At his age, he was supposed to find a tigress and produce off-springs, but he lost interest in that ever since he met the goat. Compared to a fiery-tempered tigress, he much preferred the docile goat.

He knew how he felt towards the goat. He just never did nor said anything because the goat was an idiot.

“Friends watch out for each other and share food. That’s what we’ve been doing, right?”

“Yes, yes,” the tiger said and sighed in defeat.

“But it is still strange,” the goat mused. “My friends left me when they were in danger, but you protected me even though it meant danger for you.”

What was at first just another bout of nonsense was now affecting the tiger. He looked cautiously at the goat and told himself not to overthink.

“My friends laughed when I made mistakes and hurt myself, but you’d get angry.”

“I…I get angry because I can’t believe anyone is so stupid…” the tiger said, touching his ear which was beginning to grow hot.

“That’s what I thought too, but that’s not the truth, right?”

The tiger swallowed and took one step away. He never expected this; that a day might come when the goat understood his feelings. Or did he? Unsure what to believe, he tried to suppress the hope that was rising in his racing heart.

“You care about me. You won’t eat me but you always lick me,” the goat said confidently. “You are more than a friend to me.”

Yes! The tiger inwardly exclaimed. It was a miracle, intelligence had finally awoken in the goat.

“Th-that’s right,” he said, glancing sideways to hide his blush, though his wagging tail already betrayed him. “Took you long enough.”

“So that’s it. I’m actually right for once.”

The goat grinned one of his happiest ever, and it threatened to burn every fibre of the tiger’s self-restraint. Since the goat understood, there was no point in keeping it a secret anymore. Still in disbelief that this was actually happening, the tiger rested his forehead against the goat’s. He had long wanted to taste those lips again, in a proper kiss, but he held himself back because he did not want to scare the goat. He had been holding back for so long.

“Stupid, I’m only going to say it once, so listen carefully,” he whispered. “I…I lo-”

“You’re like my new father!”

The tiger froze as silence dragged between them. A gust of wind blew, sending leaves to the ground much like how his hopes crashed as echoes of the word ‘father’ reverberated in his head. Before him, the goat continued wearing that silly grin, completely oblivious to the impact of his words and how much damage they dealt.

“My father left me when I was young, so I don’t really know, but this is close, isn’t it? You protect, feed and groom me,” the goat said, still so pleased with himself. “Those are what fathers of other animals do, right?”

There were so many misconceptions in the goat’s conclusion that the tiger didn’t even know where to begin. His mouth hung open, wanting to argue that he wasn’t trying to be his father, that he wasn’t old enough to be his father and that male tigers weren’t even the type to look after their young in the first place. He didn’t need to be the goat’s father to treat him well, and he sure as hell was not trying to “groom” the goat! He was stupid to believe that the idiot understood his feelings. This was the first time his confidence plunged to zero; his mind was in a mess, words struggled to form and he felt like howling.

“I...you…forget it!” The tiger turned and ran.

“Huh? Wait! Where are you going?”

Confused, the goat left his food and did his best to follow, thus getting his long-belated exercise. Their hurried footsteps created a ruckus, broke the peace of dawn and woke several animals. As for those that were awake to begin with, they were treated to the bizarre sight of a goat chasing a tiger.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments: That's all for Tiger & Goat, thank you so much for reading the story!! Hope you found it cute and sweet hehe, though, poor tiger, he'll have to work a bit more before the goat notices his feelings.
> 
> Please let me know what you think of the story, and any constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated too!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As requested, here's an epilogue~ Hehe I had plenty of fun writing about these two and I'm definitely going to miss them. This chapter is longer than the rest so I could write to my heart's content =P I hope you will enjoy this extra chapter~

The tiger blinked at the young squirrel served before him, wondering if this was not an extension of the dream he was having just seconds ago.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was told I’d find my mommy here…”

But the tiger hadn’t eaten a squirrel in a while; the young one will not find her in his tummy. To shake off the sleepiness, the tiger paced around and inspected the trap that the squirrel was caught in. It was not well made, just some vines and twigs.

“Who led you here?” he asked the snivelling one, even though he could already guess the answer.

“A goat…”

Said goat was eventually found a distance away near the lake, head down and shoulders hunched, and upon noticing the tiger’s approach, he forced a smile.

“D-Did you enjoy your breakfast?”

“Yeah. Thanks for the meal.”

“I-I see…” he mumbled, and before his smile even faded, tears welled up and rolled down his cheeks.

This idiot. If it would make him so wrought with guilt, why did he lure the squirrel over in the first place? Trickery and the goat were not compatible, and the tiger was not desperate enough to accept food brought to him in such a manner. Sighing and clicking his tongue, he went closer and nudged the goat.

“I’ve set him free, so stop crying already.”

“Y-You didn’t eat it?”

“I didn’t. I was lying earlier.”

To his surprise, teardrops fell more heavily than before and the goat’s face scrunched up in deep agony, which confused the hell out of the tiger.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked softly and licked away some of the tears. “I’m sorry for lying, alright?”

The goat shook his head and sniffed.

“I’m sorry. You always brought food for me, so I thought...”

Ah, so this was what it’s about. How silly. The goat should just sit back, enjoy the weather and wait to be fed every day. The tiger never minded being the only one fetching food; he was happy as long as he could see the goat munch in bliss and grow fatter. It warmed his heart that the goat was willing to go this far for him, but he would rather starve than see the goat this upset. So he pushed aside his embarrassment and explained to the goat, licked his face and gently tried to cheer him up.

He felt like giving up half an hour later.

“I already told you, I don’t need to be fed! What are you still upset about?”

The goat lowered his head and said nothing. It frustrated the tiger to no end.

“Fine. You stay here and cry all you want. I’m going.”

“Nooo!”

The wail sounded so pathetic it stopped the tiger in his tracks, allowing the goat to snuggle against his side and blow his nose into his striped fur.

“Don’t leave me...!”

“Who said anything about leaving you?”

“I’m sorry for being useless,” The goat went on, clumsily pawing and trying to drape an arm over the tiger. “I’ll find more food for you so please don’t ignore me…!”

In an attempt to get what the goat was saying, the tiger recalled the past few days they’d spent together. Those were dark days; the tiger was heartbroken because the goat thought of him as a father, and even now he felt a tinge of sadness being so close to the one he loved and yet unable to convey his feelings. But now that he thought of it, perhaps he had unwittingly been cold to the goat.

“…I didn’t mean to ignore you,” he said, pulling the goat close for a proper hug. “Look, you’re my emergency ration. I’ll never leave you.” His own declaration made him blush, but he forced himself to continue. “B-Besides, I count on you to heal my wounds. You’re not useless, see?”

The goat nodded, his tears finally stopping and god he was so adorable it took all the tiger’s resolve to not pounce and have his breakfast. Patience, he reminded himself.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?”

And the goat’s offer blasted the P word out of his mind. Yes of course there were many things the goat could do for him, like lying down and -

The tiger shook his head. Endurance. He must endure and not cave in to the temptation.

“You don’t have to do anything,” he forced himself to say.

“Oh, I know. I can lick you.”

The soft sensation of the delicate tongue grazing his cheek did not register until the deed was over. He stared at the goat, the proud silly smile and short wagging tail, and he forgot the ‘E’ word.

A push sent the goat falling on his back, and without giving time to recover, the tiger pounced atop and pinned him down. Blood rushed to his head, his vision grew hazy and all he knew was his intense desire to claim the goat, mark him and make him feel so good he’d lose interest in mating with another.

He blocked out the small protests and leaned in, savouring the warmth he had not felt for some time, before sealing the goat’s lips with his own.

Ten steps away, a deer reached the peaceful lakeside and began sipping water. Birds flew about in cheerful courtship, and an active fish made splashes when they dived too close. Ripples travelled, multiplying in the breeze and the deer, satisfied from his drink, left without sensing any danger, all while the tiger and goat froze in the kiss.

They were both panting when the kiss ended, but the tiger didn’t want to stop. He wanted to go further, make it clear that this was not a grooming session, so the goat would stop thinking of him as a father figure.

“W-Wait…ah!”

A nibble on the droopy ears cut off the goat’s protest, but it was not enough. The tiger lapped furiously down his neck towards his chest, and there he lingered until the other lost all strength and moaned. Spurred on, he reached up and claimed the goat’s mouth again, this time reaching deeper for their tongues to meet.

The goat let out a loud whine, locked his arms over the tiger’s neck and returned the kiss with equal fervour, and that, ironically shocked the tiger so much he stopped. Then he was too ashamed to look the goat in his eyes.

“I…Sorry if I scared you.” He moved away reluctantly, getting angrier at himself for each passing second. He ought to have jumped in the lake to cool down or bashed his head against a rock to let out excess blood instead of letting himself lose control like that. The goat must be terrified, must regret not running away with the herd of goats when he had the chance, and now there was no way he would sit and listen even if the tiger told the goat how he really felt.

Distraught, he lay face down on the grass and did his best to accept the consequences of his own actions, but his self-loathing was disrupted by an outburst.

“That was interesting!”

The goat shuffled over, and when the tiger glanced up cautiously, he saw the usually sleepy eyes shining with a similar enthusiasm as when they regarded food.

“I never knew meat tasted so nice. No wonder you eat meat. Do you do this to all your preys?”

He went on rambling about possibilities of switching into an omnivore so they could hunt together, and the tiger remained speechless. But then something seemed weird. When the goat said the tiger was like a father to him, he had appeared flustered, and that same expression was what he wore now, except much more pronounced. If anything, it appeared as if the goat was nervous and overreacting.

Suspicious, he took a step forward. The goat immediately stopped rambling and retreated. Another step forward, another step back. But the tiger’s strides were larger, and soon he had the goat trapped between himself and the edge of the lake. Unable to hold back, he asked.

“Did it feel good?”

An unprecedented blush bloomed on the goat’s face and he dipped his head low, but the tiger did not allow it. He nudged and forced him to look up.

“Did you like it? Do you want me to do it again?”

“I…” the goat trailed off, swallowed and whispered, “Will you?”

Their lips joined again, gentler this time with the tiger slowly testing the goat’s reactions with sudden, light swipes of his tongue. Gasps and startled moans leaked as the tiger teased, and he smiled when the goat pressed forward in an impatient search for more. But as much as he could not wait to oblige, there was something else he had to do.

He pulled away and gazed into the goat’s eyes.

“I have never done this to anyone other than you, and I don’t see you as a prey…”

He had to say everything. It was now or never.

“I love you. Not as a friend, and definitely not as a father. I want you to be my mate, do you understand?”

The goat nodded, looking as dumb as ever, and the tiger almost felt guilty for falling in love with the naive thing, like he had somehow tainted him and trapped him in the dangerous life he led. But the goat licked him again, and the surge of affections he felt overpowered the guilt.

“I don’t know much about mating,” the goat said, shy and hesitant. “I know I am really stupid, but I-I love you too, is that okay?”

“Yes. Yes it’s more than okay.” The tiger blinked back tears of joy. “You idiot. Now I feel like a fool for being depressed for so many days.”

“Eh? You were depressed? Why?”

The tiger laughed, kissed the goat hard and did not explain. There was no point in explaining; the goat had most likely forgotten about that whole father incident, and all the tiger could care about now was making sure that the goat would never forget their confessions and kisses.

As for the actual mating, well, they would have plenty of time for that later.


End file.
